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Friday, November 30, 2018

With the Christmas season approaching, some venues are putting up a few decorations. But the Urban Furry club did more than that. Their team created a small winter wonderland that looked like something out of holiday cards or movies. I had a few words with the owner of the club and his staff about their build.

Yesterday on the blog for the Linden Endowment for the Arts, it was announced that on January 1, there would be a "hiatus for restructuring." LEA sims 11 to 29 would be temporarily shut down "to allow for a major restructuring."

Come January 1st 2019, the Linden Endowment for the Arts, known as the LEA, will be temporarily closing its Artists in Residence regions (LEA 10 - 29) to allow for a major restructuring.

Over the last seven years, these regions have been open for artists who apply to build their dreams, each for a six month grant. We have seen many great installations here - and some that have attracted controversy.

The nine Core regions (which include the Theatre, the Sandbox and Photohunt) will remain for the present, and short-term grants will still be available in these regions for community-inspired arts projects.

Discussions between the present Committee and Linden Lab about the future form of the LEA are ongoing, but it is anticipated that there will be a new organising committee when the AiR regions re-open.

The Linden Endowment for the Arts (LEA) was established to help create a center of arts activity in Second Life. It is a collaborative venture between Linden Lab and the arts community. Guided by a dedicated board of renowned Second Life artists, the LEA is committed to providing access to engaging experiences in the arts for the Second Life community. Through its exhibitions, programs, and events, the LEA fosters awareness of artists’ contributions to our virtual world and encourages others to get involved and be inspired.See more at: http://lea-sl.org/

Wednesday November 28 was the last day the Wildstar Massive Multiplayer Online game was up and running. In September, NCSoft made the decision to shut it down. The game had gotten attention for ir's cartoony look and being one of the small number of sci-fi MMOs taking place in space and an alien planet with most being on fantasy worlds. But it wasn't enough.

I am deeply saddened to upload this video, a recording of the last
hurrah of Wildstar from my point of view. This was a very emotional
time for me, because Wildstar has given me some very fond memories.
This was the first MMO since Star Wars Galaxies where I was so
enthralled that I dove in deeply and actually tried to join the
community. I made a lot of new friends that I will take with me even
though the game itself is gone. We roleplayed together, we quested, we
dungeoned, we raided, we worked on housing and explored... Everything
about this game will be missed deeply, by myself and many others. I can
only hope that a similar game with deep lore, exciting combat, and
amazing housing will come out again.

Some technical details:
The Sunset party was held at Wigwalli Village in Whitevale so both the
Exiles and Dominion could be in one place. Attendance was over 450
players, nearing 500 at some points, and I know there were plenty who
wanted to attend but could not. The devs were having some zany fun,
turning us into rowsdowers, cupcakes, various NPCs from the game, and
even changing our sizes from ginormous to miniscule. This event also
pushed my computer pretty hard, dropping my FPS to single digits at
times, but it held up. Toward the end there are a few major lag spikes
on the server side, so the video will appear to glitch out and freeze
for up to half a minute, but it does come back, so please be patient.
And yes, there were also weird changes in the music being played, or
sound cutting out, just because there was so much going on.

This was recorded so that those who could not make it could at least get
a sense of closure and watch it when they get a chance, and has not
been edited in any way.

And so, the final sunset has fell on Wildstar, a unique MMO that no doubt will be missed.

Ballet Pixelle® will present its special "The Nut" ballet opening on Sunday, December 2rd 2017 at 5:00 pm.

This is the TWELVTH (12) YEAR anniversary for Ballet Pixelle to present "The Nut", which premiered in 2007! Come see our new costumes and enjoy a new surprise!

Ballet Pixelle performs its version of the Nutcracker, using Artistic Director Inarra Saarinen's own animations and choreography, and utilizing some of the particular attributes of virtual reality. "The Nut" is Ballet Pixelle's essence of The Nutcracker so you can see just the wonderful, and our truly original, dances.

Does Clara become the Princess to her Nutcracker as he becomes the Prince of her dreams? We see mysterious dances in the white castle. Arabian dancers fly in on magic carpets. A Russian cossack stamps out a dance. Russian dolls roll and play. Chinese empresses and emperors move on delicate feet, and Spanish senoritas and senoras throw themselves flamboyantly. A field of flowers waltz together. And even snowflakes dance!

Performances are Wednesdays at 5:00 pm and Sundays at 5:00 pm SLT throughout December in the Ballet Pixelle Theatre.

Audience dancing at the after-show party every performance!

Join us for an evening of classic, and yet new, holiday delights. Come early to receive your free Victorian party gown or tuxedo and dance on the luxurious set! Chat with the performers and crew after the performance for autographs, photos, and a question & answer session.

Ballet Pixelle® is the first performing ballet company in the virtual global community Second Life®. Says the Company's founder, Inarra Saarinen, “As artistic director of the Company since its inception, I have enormous pride in Ballet Pixelle. Our goal is to investigate and explore the interaction and intersection of physical and virtual dance and blended realities. We perform in the virtual reality of Second Life as well as in the physical reality of First Life.

Thursday, November 29, 2018

"If Second Life shut down, where would you go?" That's a question we residents ponder time to time. But five years ago when many residents had strong doubts about Linden Lab's concern for their wants and needs, some were thinking maybe they should make plans to leave if their fears came to pass. Most often, these residents thought about the InWorldz grid to head to. But as the concerns faded, people didn't talk so much about heading to the second-largest virtual world. Five years later, it wasn't Second Life that shut down, but InWorldz. So with the "backup" virtual world gone, where would residents head if their home grid was shut down? The answer seems to be that they'd be scattered across a number of tiny grids, that is those whom were still interested in virtual worlds. Many it seems would give up on them.

At 9AM SL time on Monday November 26, the new members of the Confederation of Democratic Simulator's Representative Assembly were sworn-in. The ceremony took place at the Praetorium in Colonia Nova.

There was also an announcement that the searing in of the new Chancellor, Kyoko (Samara Barzane), will be tomorrow, Friday Nov 30th noon SL time. The ceremony will be in the Amphitheatre, also in Colonia Nova.

Dear citizens and friends of CDS. Please join me on friday November 30, at noon slt in the CDS Amphitheatre for the inauguration of 恭子 Kyoko (samara.barzane), our Chancellor of the 30th Term

While the official Relay for Life season isn't until spring, there are spinnoff events other times in the year. Tomorrow, Friday November 1, is the start of their winter event: The Relay for Life in Second Life Chirstmas Expo. For ten days across six sims next to the American Cancer Society sim, there are plenty of attractions and plenty of things to do from shopping, to hunts and raffles, to contests, and of course photos with Santa.

The Expo goes on until Sunday December 9, with the Holiday for Hope Ball being the last event.

Gemma Cleanslate has been continuing her exploration of Christmas-themed places. Among those she came across are the House of Avro and Santa Town. Both places are well decorated for the season, and at Avro you can shop for many of them, as well as activities such as skating. At Santa Town, you can pick up some gifts for friends, have fun in the game room, or take a tour on the sleigh.

Luskwood reached a milestone this fall. The community, the oldest in Second Life turned fifteen years old. They usually celebrate birthdays with large weekend events, in the past few years held jointly with the Trotsdale community of which the two communities hold close ties, the last one held in October last year.

But this year they haven't been been able to organize one of their LWB events. So the Happy Vixen club in Purrfection Estates will be having tributes to both Trotsdale and Luskwood this week. The Trotsdale Tribute is today at 2PM SL time. The Luskwood Tribute will be tomorrow, Thursday November 29, at 8PM SL time.

The fall season is ended, and the Thanksgiving submissions close on November 30. This means that we also need to start looking toward the next writing event with the Trotsdale Library and Intersim Library Network.

=Suggested theme: "Traditions"=
An entry does not have to strictly stick to the set theme. However it will have more impact if it does. An alternate is also creating your own fable, myth, or tradition.

-Writing Division:-
Write a short poem, essay, or story about your favorite Tradition. It can be from any season throughout the year that is most special to you. Or you can tell me what a tradition is to you, perhaps it doesn't match what someone else thinks of as a tradition. It can even be a personal tradition.

Entries will be judged on grammar, spelling, content, and flow. Consideration will be taken in regards to effort, especially if it is known an entrant is not fluent in or is still learning English. Submissions should be in English. Please try to keep at PG/PG-13 or lower. Submissions rated higher than such will be ineligible.

Prize 500$L

-Art Division:-
Using your favorite medium try to capture the essence of "tradition." If it is non-digital work then either scan or snap a photo of your piece. If presenting an inworld build as your art please send a picture. You can also use SL photography as your artistic outlet. It is suggested that you also write a short piece on what you intend to be conveyed.

Judging will be based on style, apparent capability, evoked feelings and ideas, and how well the artist conveys what they state they intend to convey in their piece. Please try to keep at PG/PG-13 or lower. Submissions rated higher than such will be ineligible.

Prize 500$L

All submissions will be archived with the Trotsdale Library and Intersim Library Network. Text will be read and recorded for video and sound archive. Images will be incorporated into video archival as well. Winners will be announced mid January. If no one enters then the prize money in the prize pool will roll over to the next contest. Prize money will be disbursed from Hanaarashi Resident.

The Thanksgiving contest was a fixed amount prize event. The Winter "Holiday's" Contest is a baseline amount contest. Donations to the prize pool can be sent to Hanaarashi Resident or sent via one of the prizepool book piles. Merchandise or service prize donations please message Amehana Ishtari with a notecard stating what your donation will be and what you would like to see it go out as prize for.

=Submitting=
There are several ways to enter:

* Use the forum archival thread and post your entry below the first message. Paste your writing into the full reply box, or if an art piece you can upload and link to it, or attach to the post.

* Place your entry into a notecard and drop it into one of the listed drop boxes. If you are submitting visual art for the contest inworld you will need to upload the image and then place this in a notecard. You can also present both together if you note that you are doing an illustrated writing piece.

Use the following template to help make sure that your entry is well marked after renaming to include your legacy name.

Tuesday, November 27, 2018

Thanksgiving is over, and the Christmas season isn't quite in full swing. But there's plenty of events at the Sunweaver and Montecito Bay clubs and the Furry Fashion Lounge. This includes Luskwood and Trotsdale tributes

Pick your spot in the Snowman Building Area and start rolling that snow!Simple, fancy, classic, wild …

Entry is free !

It is up to you what you do with your 30 prims!

You have from Nov. 30 to Dec. 5 to build your snowman,

There are 2 categories: Judge‘s Picks and the Popular Vote, which is determined by donations to the Relay For Life Kiosk beside your snowman.

- Judge‘s voting is held December 5-9.- Popular Vote starts the moment your snowman is placed in the Snowman Contest Area, so the early snowman catches the vote!

The rules are simple:

- You must stay within a limit of 30 prims (or rather... Land Impact), exceeding that limit will result in point deduction or even disqualification.

- Your snowman must be ready by the 5th of December (means, it must be in the Snowman Contest Area, judging starts December 5)

- Transfer perms are NOT required. That means you can use anything within the 30 LI to make your snowman pretty and unique , you may however not use a prefab snowman for obvious reasons. Create a unique scenery by adding your personal touch.

Monday, November 26, 2018

It was about eleven years ago this month that I began writing about Second Life as a virtual journalist and my Second Life became more or less what it is today. For those who don't know yet how it started and how it changed along the way, here it is. I'm also mentioning a little about what lies ahead.

The number of historic sims in Second Life is about to get slightly smaller. According to an article in Jo Yardley's blog, the "Pfaffenthal" sims, which are a reproduction of the central city of Luxembourg, will soon be closing down while their counterpart in the Sansar grid opens.

The moment has finally arrived, for the 1867 project to move on to
SANSAR, were land is free, where we can have better graphics,VR headsets
and real physical interactivity. Note that sansar works very well on a
normal PC,for desktop mode you do NOT need a gamer PC.IMPORTANT!
All the 1867 sims in second life will be shut down next monday, on the 26th of november. Please pack all your stuff by then.

Jo Jardley was disappointed by the news, "As a history addict I’m sad to see one of the few historically accurate sim in SL vanish. Personally I’m not sure Sansar is ready for a historical roleplaying community. Are there enough Victorian clothes, is there a rental system yet, could
you buy enough period furniture to decorate the homes, can you even open
doors in Sansar?"

Ryan Schultz called this development a first as he'd never before heard of a "wholesale move of virtual land directly from Second Life to Sansar." Will this be the first of a number of moves? While it might be the first, there may be few others, at least for now, as Sansar's numbers have been low. But for the people of Second Life, they'll soon only have screenshots, and this youtube, to remember the place.

For the second year in a row, Linden Lab is organizing an inworld shopping event for the Christmas season. And they need merchants to sign up to take part.

... Winter is coming...and that means it’s time for cheerful greetings, the spirit of giving, and lots of festive music!
Like last year, we’re winding up for a winter inworld shopping event -
and we’re now looking for Merchants who would like to participate!

Our last big inworld shopping event for SL15B was a great way for us to
see how big these events can be - and we’re adding in some extra space
for shoppers, to make sure access to all the steals and deals is much
better.

This event, which opens on December 17th, 2018 and runs through January
4th, 2019, is an opportunity to bring a ton of new customers to your
brand, offer some of you best items, and celebrate the holiday season in
a huge shopping event across several Regions.

We are looking for merchants willing to offer a discount on some of
their items (think after Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday deals!) and
provide a small non-exclusive gift to holiday shoppers.

Merchants interested in taking part are asked to fill out a form (here). Tomorrow November 27 is the last day to sign up. At one minute after Midnight, no more will be accepted.

Silvia Ametza, the woman who's been the designer of the Newser's exhibits for the past few years, has been helping out a friend with another project. It's not quite complete, but Silvia did suggest putting up a hint as to what it is. The project should be finished soon.

Since I wrote about the "Winter Swaginator Hunt" last week, a number of people have messaged or emailed me, asking where the location of the first of the gifts is. As this is the last full day the gift will be around, we can go ahead and show it. It's in Winter Wonderland 5 (104/140/24).

But you can't just up and TP there. The closest you can get just by TPing is Portal Park 1 (128/128/23). Where you'll want to go from there is the Winter Wonderland doorway, which is in the opposite side of the room. Once you walk through, look around for a blue sign. That has the Swaginator, which you'll need to claim the gift. Once you have that, walk a little further, make a left, and walk straight to the Snowball Arena area. Go up and down the stairs to the arena, past the gun pickup area, and walk around until you see a bridge over a frozen river

The bridge is where the gift is, a grayish-blue box with a light gray top. Just touch it, and you should receive your gift, as long as you're wearing the Swaginator (someone told me she didn't get it even though she says she had the HUD on, so there might be a bug).

Unpacking your gift, you get three items: a welcome mat, a basket of logs, and a lantern with a flame.

Stay tuned for the announcement in "Featured News" on the Linden Blog for the next gift in the Winter Gift Grab.

Shockwave Yareach is noted for two things in Second Life. One is his great builds. Another is his sense of humor, which has led him to compose and sing a number of parody songs. A few have made it as music videos. Among those that hasn't is the Second Life-themed song "Mesh Heads," a parody of "Fish Heads."

Mesh Heads. Mesh Heads.
Multi Poly Mesh heads.
Mesh Heads. Mesh heads.
Clean them up some!
***
Went to Luskwood
everyone was Jelly.
No they were not Jealous -
they'd all become grapes.
How can one head
have a million faces?
Even a diamond's
not that bad.
My new avatar;
supposed to look the greatest.
It should load in about
a day or so.
Thousands per face!
Double for a sweater!
We don't need great detail
of your gums!
Mulity Poly Mesh heads are usually seen in virtual restaurants impersonating oriental women
... or cats.

It’s all about the spirit of the season . . . A spirit that is revealed through reflection, and through the soothing and almost misty images of our dreams. Maybe the dreams have an ethereal look, or perhaps a rousing beat, or even a call to action. Regardless, we embrace them—even cling to them—for the serenity and transcendence that they offer during this time of celebration.

The dancers of the SLDC proudly present an excursion through dreams. The journey begins with seasonal favorites, inviting the audience to enter this special time with the pealing of bells and the rhythmic richness of classic melodies. The opening number is followed by dreams of peace, of fantasy, of transformation, of promise, of a bright tomorrow, and of hope. And of course, interspersed amongst these dreams are sugar-plum visions. The dancers conclude with dreams gone wild that will make the audience clamor for Santa himself!

The holiday season offers the perfect moment for the mating of technology and art to produce the enchanting and soul-stirring expressions of dance that have become hallmarks of the Spirit Light Dance Company. Through the artistic direction of Caryl Meredith, and her company of choreographers and performers, audience members will find themselves transported to the land in which dreams are born. It will be an unforgettable experience.

Come join us on November 25 and December 9, 12:00 Noon SLT, at the Theater of Light, Rockcliffe University. Come early to get a good seat. Maybe you will have some time to dream!

Arrive by 11:30 to be sure to get a seat. This show is sure to fill up early.
Please arrive with your scripts 50 or under...
Information on how to reduce scripts

Friday, November 23, 2018

With this being Thanksgiving week, no doubt a network or two is showing a "turkey" of a movie or two. Here in Second Life, there's a place where you can watch turkeys every day: the "Mystery Science Theater 3000" Theater. Playing some of the worst movies ever to hit real life theaters for over ten years in Second Life, the MST3K place is still around and allowing fans to "riff" at their hearts content. The Newser had a look at the place as it stands today, and a few words with the current owner.

On Sunday November 18, Veterans Isle was a location of a fundraising concert. This was their monthly benefit event for the "Homes For Our Troops" charity, which helps veterans avoid homelessness. The concert was organized in part by musician Frets Nirvana. One DJ and a number of live musicians took part. The event was scheduled for 10 AM to 2PM, but it went on until 3PM.

I dropped in while Winston Ackland was on stage, singing while strumming the strings of his guitar. People were donating cash into kiosks on either side of the stage. Occasionally Frets or someone else would offer to match large contributions.

At one point, G J (GJackie Winkler) shouted, "Folks, if you're wondering why Homes Four Our troops is so important, imagine trying to use your hands to move your body through doors too tight, looking at stairs you can't climb any more, reaching for stuff you can't reach in cabinets, trying to cook in a stovetop,, getting in and out of tubs or showers safely, that's my real life. Life, folks, as a disabled veteran. This is why homes for our troops is so important, severely disabled war veterans coming home injured, broken, and needing safe homes, places they can have control of their abilities to care for themselves and their families. I don't ask for myself. I ask for my brother and sister veterans and their families. Please, if able, fill those kiosks up. Bring friends. Thank you."

Eventually, Winston stepped off the stage, and it was time for the final group of performers, Keeba Tammas and her "Tiny Maniacs" band, "lets raise da Lindens fer da VETS!" Frets encouraged the crowd, "Folks ...think about all we have to be thankful for this week ...and especially the freedom we have. Our extremely wounded vets made the ultimate sacrifice to help ensure that freedom ...so please dig deep and help."

The crowd continued to donate, and by the end of the event, 135,000 Linden dollars, or about $540 US dollars, had been raised for HFOT, "Thank you to the amazing venue, Homes For Our Troops, and all of you here that do such a great job providing this awesome venue for us to come to, Winston for the wonderful music and all of you for this fantastic fun filled hour!"

Friday November 23rd at 10 PM Wread Writer returns to Second Life music with his new project 'The Rubber Gecko Band' bringing your favourite songs to life with a new three piece band. Lots of ukulele goodness and sweet harmonies.

At 11 PM OhMy Kidd and Saraine Sands hit the stage with a set of their trademark hippie music with a haircut. Saraine's years of drumming experience make her a force to be reckoned with on her mini percussion kit, and a great backup for OhMy Kidd as brings out his favourite guitars and songs.

Happening this Friday November 23rd from 10 PM PDT at The Pocket in our original location at Fendahl. We're on mainland, so arrive early, and don't forget to set your draw distance to 128 or below.

I have purchased a snowy land parcel to setup a holiday display. I can think of no better way to celebrate this season of friendship and love than by inviting my friends to be a part of this display so that it will truly be a product of friendship and love.

So I am inviting you to join in by adding your unique contribution to the display! And this is how:

(1) Go here: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Koss/87/89/119(2) Join the group Season of Love & Friendship so you can rez things. Don't worry. You can leave the group as soon as you are done.(3) Rez a holiday decoration that you enjoy. It can be anything. The holidays of all faiths and secular people from this time of year are welcome.

After New Year's Day, I will go and return all items to their owner, so your contribution will return to you. Please do not give decorations to me because I won't be able to keep track of who I need to give things back to.

If you know someone who might like to participate, please invite them by giving them this notecard. If I do not know them, they are welcome too.

If you are a DJ/performer, and you would be interested in volunteering to perform at a party on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, I'd like to hear from you. I don't know if that will happen. But I hope this will cause an outpouring of friendship and love that shows all those who are lonely on the holidays that perhaps they are not so lonely after all. And a party like that might just be a way to show it even more.

With Christmas a little more than a month away, already some places in Second Life are getting ready for it. Gemma Cleanslate just finished exploring one such place, Winter Holiday Village. For ten years in a row, this yearly location has offered skating, shopping, horse buggy rides, and a visit to Santa.

Remember the SL15B Gift Grab earlier this year? Every Monday for fifteen weeks, residents would check the official blog for the clue to where the gift of the week was, then head there to get it. For people who really enjoyed the hunt, Linden Lab had some good news on Monday November 19. They're going to be doing another one for the Christmas season.

‘Tis
the season to be jolly - and what could be more jolly than a ton of new
gifts? From now through most of December, we will be giving away some
goodies for everyone. We introduced the Swaginator this last summer
during SL15B, and now we’re bringing it back, better than ever, with 5
weeks of gifts - starting today! Each gift will only be available for
one week, so you’re going to want to make sure you do not miss out on
any week!

The first clue leads to both the Winter Hunt's "Swaginator" HUD and the first gift, "It’s a Winter land full of frolics and fun. Can you find the hidden chest for the prize to be won?" The location leads to Portal Park, which is a place one can get to the Winter Wonderland. Close by where you enter is where you pick up the "Swaginator" HUD. Just touch the sign, find it in your inventory, and attach. It appears as a candy cane on your screen.

Finding the location of the first gift for this hunt was harder than those in the Gift Grab as there was no SURL to the gift and the Winter Wonderland is not a small place. But eventually, I found it. Upon collecting the gift, a mark appears on the bottom of the candy cane.

It was last week that Islandz, the virtual world created by the Inworldz team following the closure of their previous virtual world in July, came online. A number of InWorldz's old residents promptly headed over to log on. But the question remains: will the new virtual world recover the numbers of it's predecessor. Bain Finch didn't think so. While we at the Newser know Bain best for his being part of the Relay for Life in Second Life, he's also been in InWorldz and other places. He made the following commentary on Facebook about where the residents of InWorldz would go.

Islandz will never be the size of InWorldz for a simple reason. The existing residents of InWorldz is forever fractured into two main camps. Those that will not go back and those that will. And of those that will, that camp further broken down into two, those that will check it out but not 'home' there, and those that will make Islandz their primary (virtual world).The other wave that happened, many of the other ranking open sims, benefited by the exodus. All the grids that are benefiting by the hyper connectivity to facilitate grid hopping, will drive the development cross grid technology for security and commerce. And there is a new focus in those directions, with the addition of all these new residents. Just taking the combined total of residents on all the hyper connected grids, is I'm guessing, is now a rather large population, taking the uniqueness of the individual and not duplicate accounts on multiple grids, into account. Then add to the mix, new open sim grids, such as Infinity further dipping into the pool of people. Many of the grid have registered spikes in new residents, the open sim market place also noted a huge spike in sales, and people are not going to walk away from those investments.And then, there is all the whispers, one hears on the song of birds, of things in the works, in far away rooms. So in the end, what will have happened, people that enjoy virtual life, will have several options. Life in the big city of SL, or the small town feel or themed community, of a bunch of smaller girds. A few will be closed grids that will require separate logins, but would offer unique benefits, the inter connected, hyper open sim, can't do.The friendships, that was established in InWorldz, will mature all these grid together, and a good many folks will explore across many grids and be involved on those grids. Sounds like fun to me.

So despite the disporia, Bain feels everything will work out for the better for the former residents of InWorldz, and other residents of virtual worlds.

Monday, November 19, 2018

Second Life is often a place to celebrate. But sometimes it can be a place to mourn as well. The Newser recently found out about a memorial area, The Broken Dreams Project. There are monuments here to young and old whose lives ended too soon. Deaflegacy went to the memorial, and gave a report on the place.

Last week was a busy one with the Linden Town Halland the CDS Election. But there were other stories such as a fundraiser for a Relay team captain whom was among those whom lost their homes and possessions in the wildfire that burned the town of Paradise California to ashes. So to help her get back on her feet, the Relayers held a fundraiser party at The Golden Tambourine. Not only was the original goal met, but so was the next one set.

Last week, the Confederation of Democratic Simulators held it's biannual elections. The polls were closed Saturday November 17. That night, the results for the top position, the office of Chancellor, were announced. The winner was 恭子 Kyoko (Samara Barzane).

There are 2 candidates competing for 1 seats. The number of voters is 25 and there were 24 valid votes and 1 empty votes.

Drewski Northman 8Kyoko (samara.barzane) 16

Winner is Kyoko (samara.barzane).

Congratulations Kyokoand thank you both candidates for standing

Out of 27 CDS voters, 25 cast their ballots, with 24 going to the two declared candidates.

The Newser contacted Kyoko briefly. She thanked the Newser for it's coverage of the election, and the CDS, as well as Drewski for being a worthy opponent in the race.

Saturday, November 17, 2018

Frets Nirvana and US Military Veterans Group announce the 2018 November benefit for Homes For Our Troops in Second Life!

Frets Nirvana, the premier guitar artist in the virtual world Second Life and the US Military Veterans Group announce the 2018 November benefit on November 18, 2018 in Second Life for the Veterans Support Organization Home For Our Troops .

Frets Nirvana states: “HFOT is a privately funded 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization building specially adapted, mortgage-free homes nationwide for the most severely injured Veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. Most of these Veterans are multiple amputees, paraplegic, quadriplegic or suffered severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Since its inception in 2004, over 90 cents of every dollar spent by Homes for Our Troop has gone to directly support Veterans. DURING THAT TIME HFOT HAS BUILT OVER 240 SPECIALLY ADAPTED HOMES NATIONWIDE FOR WOUNDED VETERANS.”

In 2017 the community in Second Life sent over $10,000 to Homes For Our Troops, thanks to many kind hearts and great Second Life performers.

Home for Our Troops benefit concerts feature premier Second Life talent monthly at Veteran’s Isle. The concert on November 18, 2018 is scheduled from 10AM to 2 PM PST. Featured artists will be DJ Waya Snowpaw, Savannah Rain, Lark Bowen, Winston Ackland and Keeba Tammas.

Sponsored by Frets Nirvana and the U.S. Military Veteran’s Group of Second Life. To learn more about Homes for Our Troops visit https://www.hfotusa.org.

Friday, November 16, 2018

Yesterday, November 15 at 10 AM, was the time of the Town Hall. Oz, Patch, and Grumpity Linden were joined by Xiola on stage as they talked to the residents in the audience. They answered a number of questions that had been posted in the forums. At the end was a short Q and A taking some additional questions from the crowd.

There were a number of question answered. Will there be resident to resident auctions? Not until next year. Will Premium residents have some choice in their style of Linden Home? Yes. What does the SSP in the new mystery continent stand for? "Super Secret Project."

On the issue of bringing back last names as an option for new residents and allowing those who don't have them to get one, "As with many things in Second Life, it's complicated. A lot of things in the background we need to upgrade." They stated that it was looking like last names would not be back until sometime in " the second quarter of next year" at least. As for how much the fee would be, one stated, "on the order of a few months of premium membership" or close to $30 USD, "not impossible, but not throwaway money."

Addition: I've been hearing from others that getting a last name or changing one's last name for an account may be limited to Premium Residents. So for a free player looking to get a last name could be spending about $40 USD.

Well, it's taken a while, but we've finally managed to get to the
point where we can open our doors to show our residents that we are
indeed alive and well!

First, let me thank everyone for their hard work, their patience and
their determination to help us see this through. Without you, we would
never have gotten this far! I've watched our community be absolutely
amazing, stunning, graceful, patient and so helpful to the myriad of
questions from so many.

For those expecting to appear as what they looked like in Inworldz, they will be in for a disappointment as they appear in the Welcome Area. With inventories completely empty, they won't have so much as a "Ruth" avatar, appearing as a cloud. There are some freebie avatars, clothes, and accessories nearby, so you can at least have a newbie look. But the OARS, or the items residents left at sandboxes to save, are not around yet. There's also only a few sims accessible for most residents.

And so, the success to Inworldz is finally online. How well it does at making the residents of it's predecessor happy, and how successful it is as a virtual world, will take many weeks, probably months, to figure out.